We are excited to announce our first-ever UBD Designer Contest! UBD is scouting for designers who consider themselves to be the best of the best, and hopefully that is you.

What’s this all about?

UBD wants you to design a Premium Blog Theme that will be distributed to the masses! This theme will be made available to the public for free. If you’ve had any experience in design and you understand the bleeding-edge of blog design and functionality, this is your chance to get your name out there and to work with Unique Blog Designs on future projects.

OK… so what do I win?

If your design is chosen from the bunch, you will receive:

• $250 CASH PRIZE!
• A link on the theme, which will be widely distributed because it will be free!
• The opportunity to work with UBD on future projects!

If you’re a top-notch freelancer looking to find some extra cash and a steady stream of work, this is right up your alley!!!

Wow, that sounds ridiculously awesome. So… How do I participate?

All you have to do is send an email to us at contest [at] uniqueblogdesigns [dot] com and tell us that you’re interested! From there, you’ll receive all of the necessary information to get started and complete your design.

*UPDATE*: Once you’ve emailed or shown interest in entering, we will add you to our list. You will receive an email on March 1st with all of the design details. All entries are due on March 10th, no later than 11:59 PM MST.

We will be announcing the winner on March 15th, so the sooner you get started and submitted, the better.

So that’s it?

Yes, it is that simple! You design a theme, we provide the reward and a rare opportunity to work exclusively for Unique Blog Designs.

We are very excited to see the level of skill and professionalism that is out there looking for opportunity, so don’t let this pass you up. Best of luck to you!!!

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Everyone’s favorite blogging software, Wordpress, has released an urgent security update that everyone should upgrade to.

If you have registration enabled a flaw was found in the XML-RPC implementation such that a specially crafted request would allow a user to edit posts of other users on that blog. In addition to fixing this security flaw, 2.3.3 fixes a few minor bugs. If you are interested only in the security fix, download the fixed version of xmlrpc.php and copy it over your existing xmlrpc.php. Otherwise, you can get the entire release here.

Also, there is a vulnerability in the WP-Forum plugin that is being actively exploited right now. If you are using this plugin, please remove it until an update is available from its author.

Since we are talking security, remember to use strong passwords and change them regularly. While you’re updating WP and your plugins, consider refreshing your passwords.

You can download the update to Wordpress here.

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Our buddy, Joe Ngo, is holding a contest to win an Exclusive Theme, from, you guessed it…UBD!

To enter the contest, all you have to do is create a blog post about the contest. You can learn more on Joe’s blog.

The contest is open to everyone and the winner will be picked February 15th. Enter now!

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We have put together what we think are the best resources for new and seasoned bloggers looking to take their blogs to the next level. We have put together a list of resources for:

• Recommended Blogs
• Stat Tracking Tools
• Advertising Programs
• Photo Sharing
• Social Media Marketing
• Email Marketing

If you believe we should add a resource to our list, please let us know in the comments.
Read the rest of this blog post »

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We are often asked, “How do I get readers to comment on my posts?”  It is regularly the case that a blog might look great, have great content, and yet no comments. Seeing the benefit in building a community around your blog; encouraging people to comment is an important aspect of any blog.  Here are 5 easy ways to encourage your readers to start commenting: 

1. Write to Your Readers! Addressing your readers specifically could spark conversation. When you read something that strikes a cord with you, you are more likely to comment, right?
2. Ask your readers questions - When writing an opinion article, asking your readers what they think will increase the likelihood that they will comment.
3. Make sure the comment link is large and easy to click on. If they can’t see the link they won’t click on it!
4. Write interesting headlines! If a reader sees a headline that grabs his/her attention, he/she is more likely to read and comment on that particular article.
5. Limit your posts to an appropriate length… We all skim what we read, so making sure a post isn’t too long will encourage more comments.

Follow these five steps to be well on your way to establishing a more lively blog.

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